Abstract

The growing phenomenon of Social Software seems to provide an opportunity to complement the top‑down approach based on central knowledge repositories with tools that are simpler, smarter and more flexible. This article in‑ cludes a brief description of the main categories of Social Software â€” weblogs, wikis and social networking sites â€” fol‑ lowed by an analysis of their utilisation in relation to the five core Knowledge Management activities of the Knowledge Management taxonomy proposed by Despres & Chauvel in 1999. Examples that illustrate the support Social Software could provide for knowledge management are presented. Finally, some of the problems that hinder the usage of Social Software tools, together with some of the latest developments and trends in the field are mentioned.

Abstract

Intellectual capital has been described as intangible assets that may be used as a source of sustainable com‑ petitive advantage. However, intellectual capital components have to interact, to create value. Previous studies demon‑ strate that intellectual capital is positively and significantly associated with organizational performance. Our aim is to con‑ solidate these findings, examining the inter‑relationships and the interaction effects among intellectual capital compo‑ nents and organizational performance, in the Portuguese banking context.

Abstract

This article traces the development of complexity theories and proposes a Complexity Representation Model (CRM) for management processes. The purpose here was to translate key elements of complexities theories (e.g. self organisation, adaption, co‑evolution, chaos) into a recognisable form and relate these to management practice (particu‑ larly knowledge management and learning). A further Complexity Application Model (CAM) is offered that shows the relationship between the formal and informal aspects of the management environment and the CRM. It models an active environment that should learn and adapt to minor perturbations and major schisms. It is a conceptual guide as to the "ideal" management system, one that self‑ organises, learns, adapts and evolves with its environment. The application of the CAM is discussed in terms of practical methods and processes that can be used to manage and encourage managers to feel they are in control of a complex adaptive management system.

Abstract

Practical experiences in developing and introducing performance measurements systems for measuring and managing knowledge capital have shown that these instruments do not sufficiently fulfil the expectations of their users. Some authors even point out that the fundamental understanding of methodological and conceptual issues is inade‑quate. Therefore, we suggest that instead of creating further new instruments, an explanation of how and when Perform‑ance Measurement Systems (PMS) become effective is necessary. We argue that highlighting their potential production of "blind spots" and comprehending the use of PMS more reflexively will bring more sustainable effects. As a result, the concept of First and Second Order Reflection of PMS is introduced.

Abstract

This paper describes a Process Framework for an Interoperable Semantic Enterprise Environment (PF‑ISEE) for conceptualising knowledge by coupling business process activities and the Knowledge Transfer Cycle. The PF‑ISEE is triggered by an activity and starts the Knowledge Transfer Cycle. The Knowledge Transfer Cycle provides six core concepts with methods, tools and templates to create, manipulate, store and retrieve information. Within the Knowledge Transfer Cycle, special methods are applied in the context of knowledge intensive business process activities with a rep‑ resentation model that can be a global, role depended or an application inherited concept representation. The paper in‑ troduces the main advantages and challenges of each core concept and explains its position in the Knowledge Transfer Cycle. Furthermore, it is shown how the PF‑ISEE can be part of an Enterprise Semantic Web in order to integrate se‑ mantic tools and technologies in standard enterprise applications.

Abstract

This paper offers a view of communication networks in which professionals are connected via knowledge flows and communication processes. The discussion focuses on a case study of software business processes in two small‑ size Finnish software companies. The paper has two objectives. First, it assesses the knowledge flow model as a tool that can be used for developing knowledge‑intensive services. Second, it offers a new way of seeing a software project from a communication and knowledge flow perspective.

Abstract

This paper reports research to investigate how tourist organisations based in Africa acquire, disseminate and apply knowledge through their websites. Interactivity is the key to put information into context to become knowledge. A survey found there are some interactive knowledge‑transfer tools provided on the websites of African tourist organisa‑ tions, but only on the few, fully‑fledged e‑commerce websites was knowledge transfer being effectively utilised. The au‑ thors recommend that organisations incorporate more tools to acquire and apply knowledge as it is fundamental for e‑ commerce success.

Abstract

This paper contributes to our understanding of knowledge creation by developing a comprehensive model of the knowledge creating process in organisational work teams. It subsequently synthesises contemporary theory across research streams to develop hypotheses relating to three factors capable of facilitating the knowledge development process â€” cognitive diversity, transactional memory and open‑mindedness norms. In combination, the conceptual ration‑ ale and empirical support act to substantiate three key relationships in the knowledge creation process.

Abstract

We present a framework for semi‑automatically acquiring domain knowledge necessary for building light‑weight, application ontologies. The approach adopts active learning for semantic annotation of knowledge roles that have been derived from the CommonKADS methodology. We discuss the framework advantages by implementing a light‑ weight, application ontology for a knowledge management application in a technical domain.

Abstract

Business intelligence (BI) is a managerial concept and tool that is used to help organisations to manage busi‑ness information and to make effective decisions. Measurement of BI is generally considered an important issue but at the same time it is considered difficult to carry out in practice. There is also a lack of research on the topic. The paper describes the current knowledge regarding the measurement of BI and makes a contribution on the currently small amount of empirical knowledge on the topic. The research is implemented by means of a literature review and action research.